Monday, January 30, 2012

Since Ron Hextall won the Conn Smythe Trophy in defeat in 1987 as a rookie, the Flyers have had a revolving door in net that continues today, even after the 9-year signing of Ilya Bryzgalov was supposed to stop all of that.

All told, the Flyers have had 30 different men between the pipes since that loss to the Oilers nearly 25 years ago, and not a single one of them has been able to establish himself as the bona fide No. 1 for more than a season or two. Not Hextall, who as a youngster flip-flopped the starting job with fellow youngster Ken Wregget and who couldn't establish himself as the guy consistently enough in his second go-round. Not high-priced free agent John Vanbiesbrouck, who eventually lost his job to rookie Brian Boucher and never recovered. Not the eccentric, temperamental Roman Chechmanek, who couldn't keep his emotions in check. Not veteran Jeff Hackett, who suffered from vertigo and couldn't stay healthy. Not Martin Biron or Robert Esche, two guys who always seemed to be looking over their shoulders. Not Ray Emery and certainly not Bryzgalov, at least not yet.

It's been a never-ending quest that has ultimately come up empty time and time again. All hope was that Bryzgalov would end the merry-go-round, but halfway through his first season in Orange and Black, he's been outperformed considerably by youngster Sergei Bobrovsky. It's simply more of the same.

Here's a season-by-season look at the men who have tended the net for the Flyers these past 25 years.